Oh, Deer!

As Fall fades to Winter in the Northwoods, people are busy readying themselves for the
coming months finishing up yardwork and winterizing the car, hanging Christmas
lights and planning holiday menus, tuning up the snowmobiles and putting finishing touches
on the ice shack. It's a great time to be living in the Northwoods as the colorful
Fall foliage gives way to bare tree branches sagging under the weight of sparkling
lily-white snow. The temperature dips and the clear, clean waters of area lakes turn to
diamond-hard ice that will serve as simple roadways, connecting opposite lakeshores, until
the ice melts back into the Spring-warmed waters.

Yes, the Northwoods are a truly beautiful place to call home but people aren't the
only residents that are busy bustling about during the Fall our local deer
population is quite active in the later months of the year, as well. Unfortunately, all of
this activity often leads to even more vehicle deer collisions than normal during the
Fall and Winter months.

At Nicolet Service Center, we see a fair number of accidents caused by deer
collisions and, while some are fairly minor, others can be devastating. As a service,
we've compiled a number of things to keep in mind as you travel across the Northwoods
that, hopefully, will minimize your odds of meeting a deer head-on in your lane. Of
course, there is no way to guarantee that you will never hit a deer. With that in
mind, we believe that your best defense lies in knowing what to do to when you see deer
along the roads and preparing yourself for quick, yet calm, thinking should you be faced
with a deer jumping out in front of your car.

Be sure to share the following tips and ideas with your loved ones - especially
new drivers - to keep them safe, too. Drive carefully and enjoy the holiday season -
we hope we don't see you real soon!

A Little Deer Data

Currently, a typical year across the state of Wisconsin will see nearly 45,000 deer
struck and killed by motor vehicles. That's roughly 12,000 more than just a decade
ago. Tragically, humans can also lose their lives or be injured when caught in a
vehicle/deer collision - 7 people died and over 730 were hurt in 1997 alone which is
more than 2 times the number of fatalities than in 1996. As more roads carry more traffic
to more areas of the state and deer are forced to cross these roads to find food, shelter,
and mates, the number of car/deer collisions is likely to continue to increase.

While deer are certainly present in residential and city areas, the bulk of vehicle
/deer collisions occur on roadways that travel through our fertile farm and dairy lands
and through the thousands of acres of forests that make up our beautiful state. A recent
Michigan study showed that the increase in vehicle miles traveled is 2 ½ times more
likely to have an influence on the number of vehicle/deer collisions than changes in the
size of the annual deer herd. Every year, Wisconsin drivers travel an additional 800
million miles more on rural highways than in the previous year. As these numbers increase
so do the odds that you will be forced to make the split-second decisions required to
avoid or minimize a vehicle/deer collision.

Deer accidents can happen any day of the year at any time of the day - diligence
is required to reduce your chances of striking a deer no matter when you drive on
Wisconsin roadways. However, as we move into Fall and Winter, it is even more important to
be aware that there may be deer springing up in the path of your vehicle.

A number of factors influence deer activity year-round though there are 3 things that
tend to have a greater influence in the Fall months - food, mating, and the hunting
season. Let's examine each:

Food

As you may know, deer are herbivores, which means that they depend on
vegetation for sustenance. As Fall approaches, the forests and woods dry out. Vegetation
dies and trees drop their leaves, which forces the deer to leave the relative security of
the forests to forage for adequate food. This often means that deer will be edging closer
to roadways as they seek out the grass and vegetation along the roads and highways. In
areas of recent road construction, for example, there may be freshly seeded grass or newly
laid sod. Even if deer are not actually feeding on the grasses alongside roadways, they
will be forced to cross the roads to continue to search for food. This can often mean that
they are many more deer crossing particular areas of roadway during the Fall months.

Mating

In late October and early November, deer enter their annual mating/breeding
season. As bucks instinctually pursue does with the goal of mating, they will often be
less cautionary near roads or highways. This can lead to not only the bucks being more
likely to enter or cross the roadways but also does will be chased into traffic by the
bucks. It may be hard for humans to understand that deer (like many animals) cannot
control their instincts nor think logically. When pursuing a possible mate or being
pursued by, deer do NOT have the ability to stop and think about the consequences of
jumping into the road and in front of a car, truck, or other vehicle. This lack of control
over their instincts is what often drives them directly into hazardous situations when
normally they may have simply stopped and waited or turned and run when they see or hear
vehicles.

Deer Hunting Season

With bow season and then gun season right after, deer are often in transit
as they attempt to avoid becoming a target for the many hunters that venture into the
woods each year. Again this is an instinctual behavior that many times brings the deer
closer to roads and highways as they seek refuge from arrows and bullets.

When you realize that all 3 of the above conditions (along with specific local
influences) affect deer every day, it's pretty easy to understand why deer are more
active during the Fall and Winter than at other times during the year. As a driver, your
best bet is to be aware that these months carry with them an increased responsibility on
your part if you want to be safe. Drive smart, stay safe.

Practical Tips

So, what can you do to avoid hitting a deer? As mentioned before, there is NO guarantee
that you will never have to deal with a vehicle/deer collision. Indeed, it is the rare
Wisconsin driver that has never had close calls with deer at some point in their driving
career. By following the tips below, we hope that at the worst all you'll have to
deal with is close calls.

Keep your eyes open and your senses ready for a deer to appear. Again, deer can
appear seemingly out of nowhere at any time of the day or night, during any type of
weather conditions, or during any season. There is really no "safe" time that
it's O.K. to let your guard down when it comes to deer though there are plenty of
times that you'll need to be extra careful. Simply knowing that deer are there on the
sides of the roads should help you pay more attention during the higher-risk times though
it's your responsibility to avoid distractions and stay focused on good driving
skills.

If you travel during the early morning hours or evening, the odds of coming across
deer on or near the roads increases substantially as deer commonly move to and from
feeding areas during these times of the day. Give yourself enough time to be able to
reduce your driving speed during these dangerous hours and still make your destination on
time.

Never assume you're in safe territory just because an area is more residential
or there is fencing up along the roadway. As we continue to expand our living areas, we
encroach on the deer's natural habitat. What looks residential to us may have been
forest not too long in the past and often deer are still adjusting to sharing their homes
with us. They may be confused by the change in their habitat and will be forced to cross
roads in order to find safe haven and continuing food supplies. As for fences, deer have
been know to jump fences in their path as high as 6 feet! Ultimately, deer will continue
to adapt to their changing living conditions and that means that they will continue to pop
up in the darndest locations - residential, rural, or otherwise.

Heed deer crossing signs. Areas marked with deer crossing signs typically have a
higher rate of vehicle/deer collisions and you need to adjust your driving to reduce the
chances that you'll be involved in a crash. You should reduce your speed in areas of
deer crossings and pay attention to the sides of the roads as much as possible without
jeopardizing your driving ability. Additionally, don't assume that areas not marked
with deer crossing signs are free of deer - this is simply not the case.

Know that driving conditions vary widely based on weather conditions, time of year,
and time of day. As mentioned, early morning and nighttime are prime areas for possible
vehicle/deer collisions due to increased deer movement during those times. In the Fall and
Winter months, those times of the day not only start earlier they also last longer. At the
peak of Winter, there can be as much as a 40% reduction in daylight driving hours and many
days are overcast and/or inclement which can make it harder for drivers to spot deer
quickly. All of this reduced visibility greatly increases your risk of hitting a deer.
Combine reduced daylight with bad weather and slick road conditions and you easily have
situations that call for extreme driving care. Slow down and don't tailgate other
drivers!

Learn to recognize the glowing eyes of deer and other animals along the side of the
road and slow down as soon as you see any. Deer frequently travel in groups and where
there is one, there are usually more. This is especially important should you see a deer
jump out in front of a driver in front of you or on the opposite side of the road -
you are not necessarily out of the woods as there may be more deer preparing to cross the
road. It may be you that have to deal with making a quick decision to keep yourself safe!

Read your vehicles Owner's Manual to understand just how your braking system
works. As more and more vehicles come equipped with anti-lock braking systems, it's
important to make sure that you know the best way to slow your vehicle down in the event
of an emergency. Follow common sense ideas when it comes to icy or slick driving
conditions and following other drivers from a safe distance. The more time you have to
react to a deer in your path, the better the chances that you'll survive without a
major incident. This also applies to dealing with other drivers should they be forced to
avoid a deer collision as they may apply the brakes suddenly ahead of you or swerve into
your lane of traffic in their attempt to avoid deer.

Never operate your vehicle under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Impaired
driving is extremely unsafe as your ability to react quickly and safely can be diminished.
Don't compound a hazardous situation with mind-altering substances - that's
a sure recipe for disaster.

If you are left with no safe options to avoid a deer collision, hit the deer. It
seems counter-intuitive but many times it's safer to hit the deer, keep control of
the vehicle, and accept the damages. You can do more damage to your vehicle by driving off
the road or into other traffic than if you just hit the deer. It is never a pleasant
experience to hit any animal with a vehicle and certainly not one the size of a full-grown
deer however your alternatives may mean serious injury to you, your passengers, or other
drivers on the road. In the event that you are forced to hit a deer, try not to panic,
reduce your speed as much as safely possible, and keep your vehicle in your own lane. Get
to the side of the road as soon as you can and stop your vehicle being mindful of traffic
that may have been following you - they may be dealing with the remains of the deer
strike that ended up in their path. Turn on your emergency flashers and exit your vehicle
to assess the damages only after you're sure there is no risk to you or your
passengers of being struck by other traffic. Call the local authorities by cellular phone
or have a fellow driver phone them. If your vehicle is damaged so severely that it
can't be safely driven in for repair, you'll need to call for a tow truck, as
well.

Vehicle/deer collisions are nothing new and likely will continue to be a problem for
generations to come if for no other reason than we continue to drive more miles through
more deer country each year. Faster travel on bigger highways and freeways means less time
to react and more possibility for accidents to occur. At Nicolet Service Center, we
want you to be as safe as possible as you travel our highways and roads and hope that
these tips will help keep you and your loved ones safe year-round!

Disclaimer: All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Nicolet Service Center and By Request Web Designs shall not be held liable for any typographical errors, misinformation, or misprints.